Citation Style Guides: MLA Style
MLA Citation Style
MLA citation style is the documentation and citation format of the Modern Language Association of America (MLA).
MLA style is the preferred system for citing sources in scholarly writing for courses, papers, and publishing in the literary humanities—notably for English, but also for literary, language, and folklore topics based in other languages.
The USask Department of English Requirements for Essays is based in MLA style, as detailed in the MLA Handbook.
Helpful links for MLA Citation Style
- MLA Handbook PlusThe go-to resource for writers of research papers and anyone citing sources is now available online. MLA Handbook Plus includes the full text of the ninth edition of the handbook and will soon host additional material, including other MLA guides and instructor resources.
- Department of English Requirements for EssaysThe USask English Department's guide to MLA Style based on the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook.
- Sample Papers in MLA StyleSamples of real student papers with helpful annotations.
- Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): MLA StyleOffers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, and the Works Cited page.
- MLA Style CenterProvides writing resources directly from the Modern Language Association including: a quick guide to the creation of the Works Cited list plus sample research papers demonstrating the use of MLA style.
- MLA 9th edition (basic guide)Contains citing and formatting information based on MLA 9th edition.
- How do I cite generative AI in MLA style?MLA's guide on how to cite AI tools, such as ChatGPT and DALL-E.
Citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers
NorQuest Library has noted that the formal MLA style does not have a format for Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers so they have developed this citation style in the spirit of wahkôhtowin and reconciliation.
Unlike most other personal communications, Elders and Knowledge Keepers should be cited in-text and in the Works Cited list. The in-text citation format should be formatted as:
Delores Cardinal described the nature of the...
OR
The nature of the place was... (Cardinal).
The citation format for the Works Cited list is as follows:
Last name, First name. Nation/Community. Treaty Territory if applicable. City/Community they live in if applicable. Topic/subject of communication if applicable. Month Date, Year.
For example:
Cardinal, Delores. Goodfish Lake Cree Nation. Treaty 6. Lives in Edmonton. Oral teaching. 4 April 2004.
Note: If you would like to approach an Elder or Knowledge Keeper for teachings, remember to follow protocol or if you are unsure what their protocol is, please ask them ahead of time.
Thank you to Lorisia MacLeod, a librarian at NorQuest College in Edmonton, for developing this template and allowing us to share it.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Details and Exceptions.
There are print copies of the MLA Handbook 9th edition in the Murray Library and the STM Library. See the selection below:
We also have a subscription to MLA Handbook Plus. Once you arrive at the landing page, click Access the Handbook to proceed.
- MLA Handbook PlusThe go-to resource for writers of research papers and anyone citing sources is now available online. MLA Handbook Plus includes the full text of the ninth edition of the handbook and will soon host additional material, including other MLA guides and instructor resources.
Video
This short video teaches how to create both in-text citations and works cited lists in accordance with MLA citation style, 9th ed. [YouTube video courtesy of CSUDH Library]